UMC kids’ intensive care overloads

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 | 9:45 a.m.

University Medical Center's pediatric intensive care unit was out of beds Tuesday, forcing hospital officials to turn away ambulances headed for the children's emergency room.

The lack of bed space in the intensive care unit created a domino effect, said Dr. Meena Vohra, director of the pediatric ICU at UMC. The overflowing intensive care unit meant patients couldn't be moved from the ER to the ward. Less turnover in the ER meant less space and staff available for incoming patients, Vohra said.

When ERs are on divert status, critically ill patients are always taken to the nearest hospital, where they are treated. If hospitals in the same area are simultaneously on divert status, they are required by law to alternately accept patients, said Rick Plummer, UMC spokesman.

The pediatrics ER at UMC has had more than 100 patients on each of three days last week, numbers that are significantly higher than usual, Vohra said.

Between Oct. 21 and Oct. 27 UMC was on pediatric divert for more than 12 hours. Sunrise Hospital was also on pediatric divert for more than 12 hours during the same period, according to records kept by American Medical Response's ambulance dispatch. Sunrise spokeswoman Ann Lynch, however, disputed AMR's figures, saying internal records show fewer hours. She was not able to provide a specific number.

UMC officials say they have never seen the pediatric ER and ICU so busy in October.

"This is supposed to be our slow season," Vohra said. "At the rate we're going, I don't know how we're going to manage when flu season hits."

The pediatric ER went to divert status at 3 a.m. Tuesday and went off divert 14 hours later, at 5 p.m. But the scramble for pediatrics beds has been building for several weeks, Vohra said. Last week administrators received emergency funds from the UMC Foundation to convert 12 of the regular pediatric beds into intensive care beds, Vohra said.

Vohra called the bed conversions a "Band-Aid" approach, rather than a long-term solution.

A leader in the failed children's hospital proposal, which was put before Clark County voters on the June ballot, Vohra said the current bed shortage is small compared to UMC predictions.

"It's frustrating to see parents sitting on the floor because we've run out of chairs in the waiting room," Vohra said.

Hugo Montez of Las Vegas arrived in the ER at 10 p.m. Monday with his young daughter, who suffers from a chronic respiratory illness. Late Tuesday afternoon he and 6-month-old Tatiana were still waiting for a bed.

"I can't complain about waiting. It's worth it, she's my baby," Montez said.

Across the hall, Ryan Huppert was also waiting. His infant son Ryan Jr. had been rushed to the ER at 9:45 a.m. after his mother noticed he was turning blue.

A Henderson resident and construction worker, Huppert said he voted for the children's hospital ballot measure and was disappointed by its defeat.

"I know we're having a population explosion because I'm building the houses," Huppert said. "UMC has always given us terrific care, but the hospital is going to be overwhelmed."